Greetings and welcome to Flourish, a Women’s Health Blog from Summa Health System!

Who is Summa, you may ask? Well, we are a 7 hospital system in Northeastern Ohio. We offer the best in healthcare to our communities and our women’s health services provide assistance to women along their entire healthcare journey, including obstetrical and gynecological services as well as subspecialty services – essentially, everything from birth to the end of life. Women’s health requires integration and coordination from caregivers across multiple medical specialties. Some examples of the care we provide are obstetrics, minimally invasive surgery (through the belly button!), robotic-assisted surgery, urogynecology, infertility, sexual health, pelvic pain, heart health, osteoporosis prevention, and palliative care.

And who am I? I am Dr. Vivian von Gruenigen and I am the Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a practicing Gynecologic Oncologist and Medical Director of Women’s Services for the Summa Health System. Most importantly, I am a wife and mother.

I’ve been in this job long enough to know that I do not practice medicine alone, nor do I administrate alone. Therefore, for this new job as blogger, I have invited a work girlfriend to join me in this task. Dr. Lara Burrows is on the faculty here at Summa Akron City Hospital and runs our Center for Sexual Health. Like myself, she is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and fellowship trained. Trust me, she is going to be educational and entertaining. In addition, we will have guest writers from time to time.

As women, we go through countless experiences throughout our lives – from raising children to trying to stay in shape to fighting cancer and dealing with the loss of loved ones. We created this blog to not only provide you with valuable health and wellness information from us as experts but to create a forum for you to share your stories and for all of us to learn from each others’ experiences.

So, you will be hearing from us at least weekly as we post educational tidbits for women. We will also share with you tidbits from our lives and some fun pictures.

Looking forward to the journey!

Dr. Viv

I had a vestibulectomy 3 yrs ago. I suffer cronic pelvic pain ever since. One Dr. told me I have pudendal neurology from a physical exam he believes it is the dorsel nerve and the clitorial nerve Others have told me I may have pudendal entrapment and maybe a 50% chance additional surgery would help me.The pain is growing worse with time. I burn so bad I cant stand with my legs together.It is my entire left side going thru me sometime numbing. I have had many vaginal injections of varies steroids . I have had one lower back injection, no follow up yet. but if anything I feel worse. Of course I deal with depression, I have taken so many pills . Vicodin helps me survive a little, not as much as they used to.I know I need help but I dont think there is anything else to try. Is there something I can ask for, a question I am missing. Maybe I need to be accepting and deal with my problems. Someone from vulvadynia site gave me Dr. Burrows name.Didnt mean to write so much..thank you for listening

Linda,
It sounds as if you have been through a lot and it is hard to know how best to help you without doing a thorough evaluation and exam. The NVA is an excellent resource and I would be happy to see you anytime you are ready.

I have had a second surgery, I sure do not want more. I am not sure how I found you again. Sometime I think I just need someone to talk to without being so ashamed. I was told the morphine pump would be the only thing left to do for my pain. Not decided to do it yet. I have recently read the NVA newsletter on understanding Clitoral Pain. And for the first time I read about me, as though I might have wrote it. everything they say, to not treat it I have been doing for over 5 yrs. since my first surgery. I hope you have read it. It is interesting. One visit will not help me I know that and Akron is a long distance for me. Thank you for letting me babble.

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